A review by sipteareadbooks
The Awakening by Caroline Peckham, Susanne Valenti

adventurous dark slow-paced
  • Loveable characters? No

0.25

The worst book I have ever read hands down. It's a shame as the concept is quite good (hence the quarter star) and it had the potential to be a decent read but overall this book is mysoginistic and badly written. We leap from scene to scene with little rhyme or reason; the characters are under developed and unlikeable.The personalities and motivations of the two main characters are lost as the authors drop them into scene after scene of random interactions with the four/five possible love interests. I really wish I could say something redeeming about it but I honestly just regret reading it. There is a scene near the end that made me feel physically sick and viscerally angry.
One of the love interests cuts off one of the MC's hair and has his girlfriend film it and post it on social media. Then her sister is almost drowned to death by a gang of the love interests in front of an audience. And these are the characters the girls have a crush on. It's nothing short of glorified domestic violence. I like a dark love interest but that is only appealing when they're kind to the MC. Really, proceed with caution if you read these books. They are very unpleasant in a way the books do not really condemn since the boys are constantly rewarded with the affection of the MC's and other girls.
 
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